Ravens receivers beginning to step up on offense

Forget the running game for a moment.

Of course, if the Ravens could get that going in the right direction the offense would be able to offer more balance and opportunities. That aspect has been horrendous all season.

But here's one takeaway from Sunday's 19-17 loss that should give Ravens fans some optimism.

The Ravens receivers looked more like a collective unit than they had all year.

A lot of it had to do with Jacoby Jones returning. But also, Tandon Doss is playing like the guy the Ravens raved about for the past two offseasons. Marlon Brown came up big with a much-needed 56-yard reception, one that he caught about 10 yards from the line of scrimmage and took for the additional chunk yardage.

Tight end Dallas Clark had a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab and a 45-yard reception. For all the problems Baltimore's offense has had this year, this is beginning to look like something the Ravens can build on.

All of this was done with the Packers focusing their attention on stopping Torrey Smith, who was limited to one catch for 12 yards. With Smith bottled up, the offense opened up for other receivers, more so in the second half. If the Ravens, almost fully healthy at receiver, can get this kind of production, it will continue to open things up on offense.

"That's what you try to do — you try to have enough guys in different spots where you can move the ball around and keep them honest," Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday. "I believe our pass game is moving in that direction."